RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Key Preview Takeaways:
I only got to try the 1v1 Skirmish mode on two different maps.
Visually, War for Westeros adopts the look and feel from the show, with heroes like Jon Snow and Tywin Lannister both looking like their respective actors.
The camera was problematic in my preview build.
Having grown up in the ‘90s, an era when base-building RTS games were far more prevalent than they are today, I have a special fondness for this variety of strategy game. So when a new one gets announced nowadays, the wave of nostalgia washes over me, and I take notice. That’s exactly what happened when PlaySide announced the upcoming Game of Thrones: War for Westeros RTS back at Summer Game Fest 2025. Recently, I had a chance to ride into battle waving the banner of House Stark and Lannister in an early build of the game, coming away knowing a bit more now than Jon Snow.
Set in the era of the mainline series of A Song of Ice and Fire as opposed to the prequels of House of the Dragon or A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, War for Westeros has players hoist the banners and take command of some of their favorite Great Houses. These include the likes of the Starks from the North, the lions of the Lannisters, Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons, or even the frozen hordes of the Whitewalkers themselves. The build that I had a chance to check out was a bit less grand, consisting of 1v1 online and offline skirmish modes with the choices of fielding the armies of either Stark or Lannister, with two smallish maps to pick from.
Visually, War for Westeros adopts the look and feel from the show, with heroes like Jon Snow and Tywin Lannister both looking like their respective actors — Kit Harington and Charles Dance — and drops them onto an already impressive-looking battlefield. Even in this Alpha state, I was impressed with just how good War for Westeros is looking. Watching flaming arrows rain down on Lannister structures and set them on fire as they crumble, or the brilliant emerald flames of Wildfire engulfing poor Robb Stark as the pyromancers hurl their precarious projectiles, were always delights to watch.
Even though only two of the factions were playable, I got the sense that PlaySide is putting great care into making sure the aesthetics of the various houses look distinct. The rest of the game, outside of the death and destruction, is already looking pretty damn good too, and even though only two of the factions were playable, I got the sense that PlaySide is putting great care into making sure the aesthetics of the various houses look distinct. You could zoom in and see the Stark units, adorned with fur capes and the armor that living in the north would require, their structures built from sturdy lumber and grey stone, while the Lannisters fielded soldiers in gold-and-crimson armor, their buildings draped with the lion’s banner.
The distinction between Stark and Lannister is far deeper than simply “one side has wolves and the other lions” (just to be clear, the Lannisters don’t have lion units as far as I know). Both armies can unleash all sorts of unique units with varying abilities and strengths, which I eagerly took advantage of, with both armies requiring their own strategy and build order to take advantage of.
Starting off first with House Stark, these northerners are powerhouses, with some fantastic cavalry options to run straight through the lines of much of what the Lannisters can put out there. In a bit of a surprising twist, the Stark faction is able to recruit and train not only powerful Night’s Watch Brothers, with both melee and ranged options to pick from, but also Wildlings and some of the beasts that call the realm beyond the walls home.
Helping to lead the north’s forces, the likes of Robb Stark, Jon Snow, and their respective dire wolves served as the faction’s hero units. These special hero units will level up as they take out enemy forces, learning more and more powerful abilities as they go, at the expense of longer recruit times and higher cost to do so, should they unfortunately fall in battle. Jon Snow, for instance, will inspire those around him, making his nearby troops deal more damage and imparting some damage resistance while having another ability that lets him deliver a savaging sword strike and causing a bleed effect.
“Lannisters always repay their debts,” and that is thanks largely to them being stinkin' rich, a fact that PlaySide has used to help define the faction. The Lannisters’ gold production structures produce more of the given resource per structure, granting them a faster rate of getting gold and can make their builders work faster by lining their pockets with a bit of extra coin. Coupled with the ability at any time to turn their gold into influence, and vice versa - influence being the other resources used for building and training your more advanced structures and units- this house had a vastly easier and faster early game compared to the folks from the North. While the Starks gain all their allies through more traditional training methods, the Lannisters can purchase contracts for a variety of mercenary companies to hire their fighters, each with different strengths.
Jaime and Tywin serve as the Lannisters’ heroes, with the younger of the lions serving best on the front lines, while Tywin leads from atop his horse. Tywin can negate debuffs on his troops while strengthening his own cavalry. Jaime, being a master swordsman, can deliver some devastating strikes on single targets while also taunting enemies to target him instead. Alternatively, using his menacing history as a Kingslayer can slow and damage enemies near him over time.
Right out of the gate, sides will only have access to a small plot of land, where they can start expanding and building out their bases. You have your seat of power, your home base you have to protect from being destroyed (thus losing you the game), but then you will also need to expand your reach by constructing barra...
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